Western Cichlid Forum

I have included in a download, a PDF file(1.7 meg) of the national review of the management of ornamental fish and plants in Australia. (continue reading…)

Below, I have the current listing of all freshwater allowable imports. It is current as from November 2006 and is intended as a quick reference only. This link will take you to the official AQIS site for a more complete rundown. (continue reading…)

Cichlid Jaws

A cichlids mouth really is a multi purpose tool designed for maximum survival. Cichlids actually have two sets of jaws. There is an inner jaw that is used to mash its food leaving the outer jaw free to evolve specialized teeth which allows them to gather all different types of food available. (continue reading…)

What’s Wrong with a Painted Angel?
- by Dr Jim Greenwood

Since the mid 1980’s Glassfish of the family Chandidae that have been injected with fluorescent dye have been imported into Australia from South East Asia. These fish have been painted by injection along the dorsal and ventral body surfaces and are sold as “Painted Angels”. In 1998 I became concerned when I noticed several fish species appear on the Australian market that had been injected with dye or paint.

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Injecting Fish with Dye

What is Juicing?

Juicing is the artificial colouration of fishes. Commonly juiced species include the so called “painted glassfish” along with albino varieties of a number of catfish and loaches. Some species, such as albino corydoras and so called “painted” glassfish are injected with dye using a hypodermic needle. A large number of fish reportedly do not survive this procedure. In fishes that do survive this process there is an 30% increase in diseases such as lymphocystis in “painted” varieties compared to wild type (unpainted) aquarium populations. This is presumably due to infection via dirty syringes between juicing.

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Introduction
Clown loaches are my favourite aquarium fish. They are colourful, active and have an agreeable nature. These attributes make them an ideal addition to most fresh water aquaria. This article reflects my experiences with clown loaches with particular emphasis on the various patterns that I have encountered. Hope you enjoy my account of these very personable little fish.

Common Name: Clown loach
Scientific name: Botia macracantha
Size (cm) M/F: Up to 30cm both sexes (rarely seen in aquarium examples)
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Electric Yellows: Care and Morphology
by Andrea Watts

Common Name: Electric yellow, Blue streak hap, Yellow Lab, Electric Yellow Lab, Lemon Yellow, Labidochromis tanganyicae, Labidochromis Yellow,
Labidochromis electric yellow, Canary cichlid

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Synodontis multipunctatus by Andrea Watts

Common Name: Cuckoo Catfish

Scientific Name: Synodontis multipunctatus

Size (cm) M/F: 15/17

Habitat: Cuckoos originate from Lake Tanganyika in east Africa. They inhabit the rock rubble areas and venture over the sand in search of food and spawning cichlids.

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Information about Bristlenose catfish

The humble bristlenose is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish. They are a keenly sort after addition to aid in algae control and to form part of the “clean up crew”, consuming uneaten food. There are over 50 species of Ancistrus catfish, some of which are difficult to distinguish from each other. Species identification in Australia is dubious at best and generally speaking the “common bristlenose” is simply regarded as Ancistrus sp. They are much smaller than their Plecostomus sp. relatives, however their care is very similar. There are many commonly asked recurring questions posted on the forum, so I thought that an article about these fish was in order.

Common Name: Bristlenose, Bushy-nosed catfish and Sucker-mouth catfish

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